Fish Report

Well, this week with the sunshine it sure has been a nice break from the winter weather we have had. Of course I have always said that wanting to go along with the “green” people I have checked out and found that I really have to be solar powered seeing I seem to run a lot better on nice, warm summer days than I do on cold, snowy days. In other words, I can take each and every one of these nice sunny days that come our way.

Of course as you see these nice sunny days with the weather hopefully gets warmer and warmer the snowmobilers had better get their rides in while they can. The trails are still in good shape and it can be some of the best time of the year to get out there and enjoy both the ride and the weather.

As fishermen get ready for spring and along with it the need get out there to purchase new fishing licenses, make sure you pick up a new fishing digest. There are some changes for this year and you want to keep up on them. I hear in some areas they have adopted something I first heard of down south called “slot fishing”. This is where when you catch a certain species of fish you cannot keep those that fall between a certain size. In other words say you go out on a lake and catch a nice Northern Pike. On certain waters that have “slot fishing” if your pike was to fall between 22-28 inches long you would have to release it back into the lake. It makes for a new method of fishing.

In going over some news articles the other day I got to thinking about how words and methods have changed in the last few years.

First off you always hear and read in the news where it is said, “The body found will be treated like a homicide.” Whenever I hear this I think if the person is dead I would hope it will be treated like a homicide. I say this because I can recall my instructor back in college saying, “The definition of the word “homicide” is a dead body. In other words a “homicide” could be a person dying of natural causes or someone killed in an accident.

It seems now that the word homicide and murder are synonymous and always used with the same meaning. I think you can blame this and a lot of other changes in word meanings to the TV programs where people take what they see and hear as gospel.

Another case where something has totally changed is the use of a bond on those charged with a crime. When I was working we were allowed to take bonds out in the field. In fact we had another book besides out ticket book that we used when we felt a bond was needed on a certain person for the ticket we wrote. In a case like this we would take a bond from the person to ensure their appearance in court and then release them.

In other words a bond back in the “good old days” was only used to ensure that the party charged with a crime would appear in court. It was never meant to be part of the punishment.

Look what you see now days where a bond is used as a way of punishment. I am not talking about some of the major crimes where people are a danger to others if they are let out. I am talking in the case where there is little chance the person will not appear for their court date but yet are put on such a large bond they cannot post it so are left in jail. In my opinion this was not the reason bonds were set up.

One other word or meaning that has changed in my lifetime is the word used when describing wildlife or other situations in the DNR and other outdoor organizations. This word is “biologically sound”

I can recall some of the battles that the “old school” biologist went through defending their programs against politicians and others that disagreed with their programs. They would stake their career and their reputation on what they felt were “biologically sound” practices in the field they worked in.

Now days when I have talked to more than one biologist I have been told, “John, you have no idea how much pressure there is from politicians and other groups to sell out what you know to be “biologically sound” practices that you know are best for the long haul.”

There are always two sides to everything that takes place in life, but I think we can see what the results can be when politicians both in the “big house” and within a department overrule others and the best interest of their own programs.

There are others but this is just food for thought as you look at and read articles in today’s world.